Anonyme - Roman Oriental - 1753

[ANONYMOUS].
Oriental Novel: First Part.
Paris: At Duchesne, rue S. Jacques, at the Temple of Taste, 1753. 1 volume in-12 (approx. 16.5 × 10 cm). First part (title page, typographical vignette, approval and Royal privilege).

Contemporary full mottled and speckled calf binding. Spine with five raised bands, decorated with gilt panels featuring floral tools and rolls, red morocco title label (« ROM / ORIEN ») and gilt volume label (« TOM I »). Tinted edges.
Binding well preserved, with bright gilt decoration on the spine. Light signs of wear to the headcaps and corners. Fresh interior on contemporary laid paper. Title page with engraved central ornament.

First edition, published in 1753 by the Paris bookseller Duchesne at the evocatively named Temple of Taste. The mid-eighteenth century was marked by a lively enthusiasm among French readers for Oriental-inspired tales and exotic adventure novels in the tradition of the Arabian Nights.

This work belongs squarely to the fashionable gallant and philosophical literary tradition of Louis XV’s reign, blending intrigue, morality, and fanciful Orientalism.